by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 2, 2021
Expect medals in the Paralympics from the U.S. para dressage squad that was named today. Michel Assouline has done a great job coaching the team and putting America on the map in this discipline. Laureen Johnson will serve as team leader.
Riders heading to Tokyo include Beatrice de Lavalette and Clarc; Rebecca Hart and El Corona Texel, with Fortune 500 as a direct reserve; Kate Shoemaker and Solitaer 40 and Roxanne Trunnell with Dolton.
The three combinations who will represent the U.S. in team competition will be determined after the completion of the Individual tests Aug. 27.
Two combinations have been named as team alternates and are listed in selected order:
Sydney Collier and All In One and Charlotte Merle-Smith with Guata.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 2, 2021
After Garant’s “extraordinary effort” for the U.S. team in the first round of today’s Nations Cup in Rotterdam, rider Beezie Madden; her husband,John, and owner Abigail Wexner have decided to withdraw him from consideration for the US Olympic Team.
“We all believe strongly in Garant’s future as a championship horse, but know it’s not the right time for him yet. We hated to let our country and teammates down today, but the only thing more important than the team is the horse,” said a statement from John Madden Sales..
“I love Garant and wouldn’t trade him for any other horse in the world. He is healthy and sound, but just is not quite ready for what the Olympics would ask of him. We have to put his best interests first,” said Beezie, who has ridden on every U.S. Olympic team since 2004..
She had a rail and a time fault for a total of 5 in the first round, and did not return from the second round. Teammates Adrienne Sternlicht (Benny’s Legacy) and McLain Ward (Contagious) both were clean in the first round but had eight penalties in the second. Rookie Lucy Deslauriers came through with a double-clear on Hester as the U.S. finished seventh with the Dutch team claiming the win.
Rotterdam is the last trial for the U.S. squad, which is slated to be named in a few days. At the moment, Kent Farrington and Laura Kraut look like a lock for the team. It would be hard not to include someone as experienced as McLain, even if his horse has had a few bobbles. The big question is whether Jessie Springsteen will get the nod or now, given her Rotterdam performance, Lucy is put on board. The team is three members with a traveling alternate who can be substituted during certain times in the competition. Show jumping begins in August, while the Games get under way July 23 with dressage and eventing on the agenda first.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 26, 2021
A legend several times over, show jumper Harry de Leyer died yesterday, according to his daughters, Christine.and Harriet.
Harry de Leyer walks out of the ring at Madison Square Garden during Snowman’s retirement ceremony at the National Horse Show. (George Axt Photo)
A ferocious competitor in the show ring, a longtime trainer at the Knox School and a resistance member in the Netherlands during World War II, he was best known for his partnership with Snowman, an $80 ex-plow horse he rescued from a trip to the slaughterhouse and turned into a national champion who captivated the country.
Harry was a showman as well as a horseman, known for throwing his hunt cap into the air after a clean round. Always a crowd-pleaser, he did so much for horse sport by connecting with the fans.
He relationship with the horse of a lifetime was turned into an award-winning documentary “Harry and Snowman,” directed by Ron Davis, which received wide acclaim. The rider and his one-of-a-kind mount also were the subject of a book, “The Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse who Inspired a Nation,” written by Elizabeth Letts.
Arrangements are in process for Harry, 92, who had been in a Virginia nursing home.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 22, 2021
Luke 140, Boyd Martin’s Jersey Fresh 4-star Long winner last month, won’t be his mount for the Olympics.
Boyd Martin and Luke 140 at Jersey Fresh. (Photo © 2021 by Nancy Jaffer)
“Unfortunately Luke 140 looks like he has tweaked his leg on his last gallop,” said Boyd, explaining why the horse who was his humber one mount for the Games isn’t going to Japan.
“.My gut feeling is that if I push on with him towards the Tokyo Olympics that it could turn into a bad injury.,” noted Boyd, who will be riding the second of his two back-up horses, Tsetserleg, on whom he earned double gold at the 2019 Pan American Games.
“Luke is a young horse and has a huge future ahead of him and I believe its better to save him for another day,” Boyd explained.
“This is a heartbreaking decision, as Luke has been in fantastic form in his training in the build up towards Tokyo. I am very grateful that I have a tremendous replacement horse in Thomas (Tsetserleg) who is also in sizzling condition. I would like to thank and tell the group of owners behind Luke how sorry I am.”
Boyd and Tseterleg, who is now his mount for Tokyo. (Photo © 2019 by Nancy Jaffer)
Boyd at Thomas fell near the end of the course at the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star in April, which is why he wasn’t the selectors’ number one choice for the rider.
But they think Boyd is so important to the team that he was named with two direct reserve horses. On Cue, the mare on whom he finished fourth at Kentucky as the top-placing American, is still waiting in the wings if necessary.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 21, 2021
There will be spectators at the Olympic Games, as five agencies, including the International Olympic Committee and the government of Japan, decided today to permit a limited number of fans in the stands up to a maximum of 10,000 people.
That means the faces the athletes see will not be photos on cardboard (as seen at the Land Rover Kentucky 5-star in April). That will add to the atmosphere as the competitions take place, and come across to add a sense of excitement for those watching on television. However, spectators will not be allowed to cheer–speaking in a loud voice or shouting is prohibited. Instead, the authorities will establish “new safe and secure ways of cheering and supporting the athletes”.
The long-awaited decision on fans has a number of caveats, however. The spectators will be Japanese–foreigners were banned months ago.
If a state of emergency or other priority measures aimed at preventing infection are implemented at any time after July 12, restrictions on spectator numbers at the Games will be based on the state of emergency or other relevant measures in force at that time. If there is a change in infection status and the capacity of the medical care system, the five agencies will meet to consider further measures. Masks should be worn in venues at all times. Congestion will be guided by announcements; and visitors will leave venues in a staggered manner. Spectators will be requested to travel directly to venues and return home directly.
The limit on the number of fans will be set at 50 per cent of venue capacity, up to that maximum of 10,000 people, although for some reason, students and supervisors in school programs will not be counted “as they are not spectators.” Huh?
The situation will be monitored in Japan and abroad, including the status of the different variants of the coronavirus, and all necessary action will be taken promptly. Depending on the Covid situation, the Japanese parties will look at either cancelling or reducing the scale of any live sites and public viewing events to minimize the movement of people and review any other Games-related events .A framework will be implemented to keep monitoring the status of infections and medical care, using expert advice. Vaccination of those involved with the Games will continue.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 20, 2021
After seven years in Tewksbury, trainer Sara Schmitt next month is moving her operation to a larger venue at Riverfield Farm in Annandale, which was a top hunter-jumper operation when owner Karen Peterson Da Prato ran it as a show stable..
The versatile Sara, who specializes in both dressage and driving, needed more space after seven years at Centerline Farm, so the facility a bit further west next month will offer room for driving in particular on seven times the acreage she has at present, in addition to more than 30 stalls.
Sara is as committed to driving as she is to dressage. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Sara called her Tewksbury operation Sara Schmitt Dressage, so guess what the name of her business will be in Annandale? That’s right, Sara Schmitt Dressage.
“My name is my brand,” she explained.
“I keep reinventing everything and doing something new because it’s fun.”
A believer in broadening the experience her students and others receive, She notes clinics will be a feature at the new venue. Olympian Tina Konyot is coming next month and the August clinic with another veteran U.S. dressage team member, Pam Goodrich,is full. Also featured in August, Tracey Morgan is offering a driving clinic on dates yet to be announced.
Sara’s stable remains involved with driving. Assistant trainer Maggie O’Leary won the training level single horse division at the Elk Creek Combined Driving Event earlier this month. She also.got her USDF dressage gold medal this year on a horse Sara trained to Grand Prix, a 19-year-old Friesian/Arab cross.
The multi-dimensional Sara, who earned a Pony Club HA as a teen, keeps busy with judging, and is working toward her 3-star FEI license.
“I’m judging a lot and I’m really learning something,” she observed.
“I think it brings something back to the table when I teach.”
Sara Schmitt competing at Dressage at Devon. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
Sara, always energetic, still finds time to be in the saddle, working most recently with Julia Greifeld’s six-year-old Westfalen, Sunflower at Third Level with an eye toward going higher. That horse also will be ridden by Sara’s para-dressage student, Alanna Flax-Clark. Sara meanwhile is still enjoying her two-time world championships pony, a Morgan named High Country Doc. She sold him in 2005, but he came back to her for his retirement.
Ask Sara about long-term ambitions, and she ponders what appears to be a novel question for her.
“Do I have big hopes of going to the Olympics?,” she asks.
“No. But I would like to try to do another team (in driving)” said the former national singles driving champ and veteran of four world championships in that discipline.
“Not this year, but maybe in two or three years. Why not?”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 16, 2021
The nominated entries from Britain for its dressage team include (no surprise) multi-gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin with Mount Saint John Freestyle, and Gio as a direct reserve, which would keep her in the picture if Freestyle couldn’t go.
Her mentor, Carl Hester, the man who got British dressage in a position to earn team and individual gold at the 2012 London Games, was named on En Vogue (with Charlotte listed as one of the owners, as she is for Gio). The actual team won’t be named until later this month, but you know Charlotte and Carl will be on it.
Germany is in an overwhelmingly powerful position for Tokyo, owning the top four on the ranking list (Isabell Werth is numbers one and two). Charlotte is number five. And with three-member teams, Germany would seem to have an edge. But Britain shouldn’t be counted out as a contender, depending on how astronomical Charlotte’s scores are. And then there is always the individual medal fray.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 14, 2021
The Vaulting World Cup™ Final will be held in Omaha in 2023, along with the jumping and dressage Cup finals, which were first held in the city during 2017 The competition April 4-8 marks the first time the vualing finals have been held outside Europe.
The dressage and show jumping Cups were a sensation when they were held in Omaha four years ago, although skeptics had wondered about the choice of the Midwestern location. They wound up raving about the well-organized competition, which made many converts to horse sport as a spectator event in a new location.
The U.S. was supposed to have a dressage and show jumping finals in Las Vegas in 2020, but it was cancelled due to Covid.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 11, 2021
The Mercer County Park Commission’s stable, 431 Federal City Road in Pennington will mark Juneteenth (June 19th) with a special celebration from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in America.
There will be an opportunity to learn about the contributions of Black Americans in the West of yesteryear, as Buffalo Soldiers and Pony Express riders, as well as the history of Black jockeys. There will be demonstrations by Black equestrians, including the Crazy Faith Riders, a nonprofit, faith-based riding club in central New Jersey that brings together a diverse community with a common interest in horses. They will perform between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Admission is free.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 7, 2021
Olympic show jumper Rich Fellers was arrested this morning in Oregon in relation to an indictment on four counts of second-degree sexual assault.
Rich Fellers and Flexible at the 2015 World Cup Show Jumping Finals. (Photo © 2015 by Nancy Jaffer)
Fellers, who gained stardom in 2012 by becoming the first U.S. rider to take the World Cup Finals in a quarter century, was being held at the Washington County, Ore., Jail today, according to a statement from the Tualatin, Ore., police. He had been placed under interim suspension in February by the Center for SafeSport and the U.S. Equestrian Federation, while in April, his wife, Shelley, was put on the USEF’s suspension list due to accusations of abuse of process, retaliation and failure to report.
Over the course of an investigation lasting several months, with witnesses in multiple states, “Tualatin Police established that Mr. Fellers had a sexual relationship with a female victim who was 17 years old. Mr. Fellers was the victim’s horse trainer and the alleged crimes occurred at the victim’s apartment, located at Eddyline Apartments in Portland,” the police statement said.
Fellers was released from jail hours after his arrest after posting 10 percent of his $40,000 bail. He is due to be arraigned next month.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport delivered the original disclosure information in the case of Fellers, 61, who was the highest-placed U.S. show jumper at the 2012 London Games. He was best known for his partnership with the gallant Flexible, a stallion he rode in both the World Cup finals and the Olympics.
The victim, Maggie Kehring, now 18, is a former student of Fellers. She has spoken out about the matter on social media, saying she originally did not want to participate in the SafeSport process, knowing it could “lead to someone America came to love to possibly be banned from the sport.”
Following the Grand Jury’s decision, Kehring said she was “relieved and grateful to see that my truth, The Truth, was heard, understood and believed. The power in me has been restored by protecting others and ensuring that no one else will be scarred by this same experience.” She expressed gratitude for the work of the Tualatin Police Department and the FBI.
Fellers did not respond to a request for comment.
The federation issued a statement in the wake of the arrest, saying “USEF strongly believes that sex abuse has no place in sport. Protecting athletes from all forms of abuse should be the collective concern of our community. USEF urges all participants to respect the privacy of the victim and her family at this time. Please be reminded that sexual abuse involving athletes under 18 must be reported to the U.S. Center for SafeSport and the authorities. Let’s stand together by supporting victims and survivors of abuse in our sport.”
